Ask Headmaster Ken

First, I want to say what an excellent website this is. By far the best and most comprehensive I have seen.

I have two concerns I was hoping you would comment on.

1. I’m very interested in going to China to teach. However, as far as timing is concerned, it seems I’m a little late for this fall to apply.

2. I would be interested in a teaching position commencing the 2011 spring semester, perhaps on a 6-month contract, but it doesn’t seem like positions are nearly as widely available for that time frame. Also, after reading the website, I would infer that those openings would mainly be available from schools of lesser reputation, resulting from unhappy teachers leaving.

Any words of advice?

First, understand there are two kinds of schools: public schools (including colleges) and training schools.

Public schools typically hire from spring to fall, with a huge drop in the summer during vacation.

Training schools hire year round.

Not many schools will hire on a six month contract.

Be persistent and you'll likely find an institution to your taste. Start applying 90-120 days from your anticipated arrival date. That is the your hiring zone.

Don't infer that the school is of a lesser reputation. It could well be they are hiring to replace a teacher of lesser abilities.

I wish you well.

Just to briefly add to Ken's reply, universities in China generally accept applications up to the end of May for the following fall semester. You should not consider it too late to apply for university employment at this point in time.

As Ken noted, private schools do accept foreign teachers all year round. However, if you commence working for a private school in a month that does not correspond to the start (or end) of the country's fall and spring semesters, you may have little choice but to either continue working for private schools during your entire stay in China or, in the alternative, negotiate an early release in order to accept university employment at a later time.

Negotiating an early release from a private school contract is much easier said than done and, at the very least (assuming the school is even open to it), may result in a breach penalty of up to 10,000 yuan.